Henry c



April 5,1927.

- H. C. OSBORN ADDRESSING MACHINE Filed May 5, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 1//A/ :Itlili.

April 5, 1927. 1,623,2 5

H. c. OSBQRN ADDRESSING MACHINE Filed May 5 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .April5, 1927. 1,623,265

H. C. OSBORN ADDRESSING MACHINE Filed May 5. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet s 2O 23F a lu K as I G 5 I l 34 50 Q3 F ieo 4 Patented Apr. 5,1927. lfiz ittibarren s rarnsea'rnnr caries.

HENRY OSBORN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN MULTIGRAPHCOMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

ADDRESSING MACHINE.

Application filed May 5, 1926. Serial No. 106,791.

This invention relates to addressing maprojections 22 carrying embossedprinting chines of the type wherein individual adstrips 23. The segmentis shown as a semi dress plates are employed. The object of cylinderresting on the end members 28 and the invention is to provide a simpleand 29 of the drum and held in place by a eflicient manually operabledevice for respring hook 2 1 engaging the shaft 11. An moving theaddress plate, whereby it may inking ribbon has its ends wound on bereadily changed on each cycle of operaspools carried between the endmembers of tion. More specifically, the invention 1s the drum, suchribbon extending interconcerned with an addressing mechanism mediatelyabout the type form. One of 10 employing the rotary carrier havingprefthese spools is shown at 27 in Fig. 2.

erably inking ribbon beneath which the ad- It will be seen that in theconstruction dress plate isinserted. My invent-ion prodescribed, whenthe drum is rotated, as by vides a simple device for withdrawing themeans of the crank, paper fed between the plate from beneath the ribbonto a polnt drum and platen may be printed by the 15 where it may bereadily grasped by the optype characters through the ribbon. The

erators handbeyond the machine. The inpaper may be fed by hand or insome autovention is hereinafter more fully described matic manner asdesired. and its essential novel characteristics are The body of thedrum adjacent one edge summarized in the claims. of the segment 21 isshown as provided 20 The drawings illustrate a rotary addresswith a pairof longitudinal channels 30, ing machine of the multigraph type em- 31for the reception of the address plate bodying my invent-ion inconjunction with A. Th1s plate may be of the form shown means forprinting the body of a circular having an arcuate intermediate regionwith letter. Fig. 1 is a vertical central section longitudinaloverhanging projections a and 25 through such type of machine; F -ig.-2is a depressed edge portions a under-curled on l th f; Fi 3 i a pspective of a themselves for strength. The projections portion of therotary drum and adapted may carry embossed printing strips a. Beto carrythe address plate; Fig. at is a similar tween the channels 30 and 31 isa portion 32 view illustrating the actionof my disof the drum providinga support for the 30 charging device in withdrawing the plate;intermediate portion of the plate while the Fig. 5 is an end view ofthat portion of the two channels accommodate the edge flanges. drum;Fig. 6 is a cross section of the corre- These channels extend beneathoverhanging sponding portion ofthe drum but looking strlps 34 and 35 onthe drum which retain in the opposite direction, as for instance, theaddress plate thereon when it is shoved 35 on the line 66 in Fig. 2.endwise into place.

As shown in the drawings, the printing To enable the plate to passreadily under machine proper is of the type of the multithe ribbon 25, Imay employ bridge 40 graph and comprises a rotary drum mountextendingacross the channel and supporting ed on a shaft 11, journalled in endframe the ribbon adjacent its edge. This bridge,

40 plates 12 and 13 above a roller platen l i which preferably comprisesa flat piece of mounted on a shaft, 15. Gearing 16 andl? Spring metalcurved corresponding to the and an Oldham coupling 18 connect theaddress plate and having depressed portions drum and platen. Anysuitable means, as resting on the segment, is specifically the in forexample a crank 19 is provided for rovention of Victor H. Kline andcovered in tating. the .drum and platen. an application of his SerialNo. 100,24t6. filed I have shown mounted on the drum a April 7th, 1926.I have shown the bridge means for printing the body of a form letwithone of the end portions 41 secured to ter, such means comprising ablanket 20 the segment bar 35 and the other end 42 (a portion of whichis shown in Figs. 2, resting on the surface of the blanket 20 50 3 and4) stretched about a segment 21 on mounted on the segment. The surfaceof the drum and having raised overhanging the platen 1 1 terminatesshort of the path n In of rotation of the bridge 40 so that such bridgecannot make any impression on the platen.

The address plate may slide into place with suificientsnugness so thatit will re main in proper position during the rotation of the drumwithout special holding means. However, I prefer to provide a springlatch, engaging the outermost end of the plate when it is inserted. Sucha latch is shown at in Figs. 1, 3 and 5 and consists preferably of aspring bent around a pin 51 and having an extending portion of invertedU- shape, projecting justabove the plane of the plate when the latter isinserted. In inserting the plate, the forward edge engages the crown ofthe spring and depresses the spring, which thus engages the underside ofthe plate until the same has been inserted, when the crown, springingup, engages the outer end of the plate, as shown in Fig. 1.

lVhen installed, the plate is almost entirely covered by the inkingribbon 25, as will be apparent from Fig. 2. To enable the plate to bereadily removed, I provide the sliding rod 60, mounted in the segmentparallel with the plate channels. This rod is preferably rectangular incross section and occupies a corresponding passageway on the segment bar35 which may be made in two parts forconvenience of construction. Therod has a laterally extending pin 62, projecting into the groove 31beyond the address plate. A tension spring (i l, anchored to the end ofthe rod, and to a pin (35 projecting from the bar 35. tends to draw therod 60 to its innermost position. At its outer end, the rod is providedwith an upturned lip 68, which furnishes at once a stop limiting theinward D'IOVBIIIGIIt of the bar and a handle by which the bar may bedrawn outwardly.

In operation, the address plate is shoved endwise manually into placebeneath the bridge and inking ribbon until it comes to a stop byengaging the pin 62. At the same time, the latch 50 will spring upbeyond the outer end of the plate, so that the plate is retained in adesired position for printing in conjunction with a body form.

The machine is now given one rotation to effect the printing. At thecompletion of such rotation, the operator draws out the rod 60sufiiciently to eject the plate to a distance where it may be readilygrasped. In the operation, the operator ordinarily places the thumb ofhis left hand just at the right of the upturned hp 68 and moves his handslig tly to the left, as illustrated in Fig. 4. This movement, which heis able to perform very quickly, draws out the rod 60 and with it, theaddress plate, beyond the side of the machine (as indicated by thebroken lines A in Fig. 1), where it may be readily grasped by the samehand, either between the thumb and first finger or between the fingersas is more convenient. Such partial discharge of the plate constitutesits ejection, as such word, or a similar word is used in the claimshereof. I

Experience has demonstrated that with my e ecting device, the addressesof circular letters may be printed with comparative rapidity by a singleoperator. If an automatic paper feed is employed (such for instance, asillustrated in Patent No. 1,051,726, of II. C. Gamiiieter) the operatorneed pay no attention to the paper and accordingly may employ his righthand to operate the crank and rotate the drum and his left hand toinstall and remove the plates. He can thus make a succession of rapidrotations with momentary auses, during which the used plate is removedand a fresh one installed. The machine is equally operative,

though at somewhat less speed, if the op erat'or. between installing andremoving the plate, employs his left hand to feed the paper. tion ismuch quicker than the typing of addresses by a typewriter machine onprinted letters. Moreover the matching of the addresses with the body onthis machine is perfect, since both parts of the forinare printed by thesame kind of characters through the same lllklll ribbon.

Having thus described my invention, I

1. In an addressing machine, the combination with an address plate, of aSupport therefor and a coacting platen, of an ejecting device to engage.the address plate, said device being provided with means whereby it maybe engaged by the hand of the operator and thus moved by such hand toeject the plate.

2. In an addressing machine the combination, with a set of addressplates, a supence to the platen, said device having a shoulder adaptedto be engaged bv the operators finger, whereby it may be moved by thehand of the operator to eject the plate.

In an addressing machine the combination with a support for an addressplate, of an ejecting device adapted to engage such address plate and bemoved to ejectit, and a spring adapted to restore said device to itsnon-ejecting osition.

at. In an addressing machine, the combination with a support for anaddress plate and coa'cting platen, of an ejecting device adapted toengage the address plate and provided with a shoulder whereby it may bemoved by the hand of the o erator and a spring adapted to move saiddevice in the opposite direction to its ejecting movement.

5. In an addressing machine, the combi- In either case however, theoperanation-with a platen, of means having a guideway for an addressplate adapted to be manually positioned to coact with the Cil platen, amember movable parallel with the guideway and having means to engage theaddress plate and a spring for restoring said member.

6. In an addressing machine, the combination with address plates, ofmeans having a guideway for such address plate one at a time, a barslidable parallel with the guideway and having means to engage theaddress plate and said bar having a projection adapted to be engaged bythe operators hand.

7. In an addressing machine, the combination of a support having aguideway for an address plate adapted to be manually positioned therein,a bar slidable parallel with the guideway and having means to engage thefar end address plate and said bar having adjacent the other end of theaddress plate a lip adapted to be engaged by the operators hand.

8. The combination, with a platen, of means for supporting an addressplate in position to coact therewith, an ejecting member having aprojection adapted to be engaged by the inner end of the plate, a springtending to hold said member in its innermost position, said member to beadapted to be manually engaged and drawn outwardly to eject the plate.

9. In an addressing machine, the combination of a rotary drum having aguideway parallel with the drum axis, for an address plate and anejecting device on the drum adapted to engage the address plate andprovide with means whereby it may be moved by the hand of the operatorlengthwise of the drum to eject the plate.

10. In combination of a rotary drum, having a recess parallel with theaxis, extending from the end of the drum, an address plate adapted tooccupy said recess, a bar slidably mounted in the drum parallel with therecess, and means moved by the bar adapted to engage the plate, wherebythe bar, when drawn outwardly, may eject the plate.

11. In combination of a rotary drum, having a recess parallel with theaxis, extending from the end of the drum, said recess being adapted toreceive an address plate, a bar slidably mounted in the drum parallelwith the recess, a spring tending to hold the bar in its innermostposition, and a lug 0n the bar adapted to engage the plate, whereby thebar when drawn outwardly may eject the plate.

12. In combination with a rotary drum, having a guideway for a removableaddress plate, a ribbon extending across the guideway, a plate ejectingmember beneath the ribbon, a spring tending to hold the ejecting memberin its innermost position, said bar having also a portion projectingbeyond the ribbon whereby it may be drawn lengthwise to effect ejectionof the plate.

13. In combination with a rotary printing drum, having a guideway for aremov able addressplate, a ribbon extending. across the guidewa y, asliding bar mounted parallel with the guideway, a spring tending to holdthe bar in its innermost position, said bar having means adapted toengage the address plate, said bar having a lip on its outer end wherebyit may be .drawn'lengthwise to effeet the ejection of the plate.

14. In combination with a rotary printing drum, having means forcarrying a printing form and a guideway along the edge of the form for aremovable address plate, a ribbon extending across the guideway andform, a sliding bar mounted parallel with the guideway, a spring tendingto hold the bar in its innermost position, said bar having a lug adaptedto engage the inner end of an address plate shoved lengthwise in place,said bar having a lip on its outer end whereby it may be drawnlengthwise to start the ejection of the plate.

15. In an addressing machine, the combination with a support for anaddress plate and a spring detent adapted to engage one end of theaddress plate to retain it on the support against inadvertentdisplacement, of an ejecting device to engage the other end of theaddress plate and provided with means whereby it may be moved by thehand of the operator.

16. In combination with a platen, of a slideway inwhich an address platemay be mounted in coaction with the platen, a spring detent adapted toengage the address plate and to prevent its inadvertent displacement, adischarging device, adapted to engage the address plate and providing ameans whereby it may be moved outwardly to overcome the resistance ofthe spring detent and discharge the plate, and a spring tending torestore the discharging mechanism.

17. In combination with a platen, of. a slideway in which an addressplate may be mounted in coaction with the platen, a spring detentadapted to engage the address plate and to prevent its inadvertentdisplacement, a bar slidably mounted parallel with the slideway andadapted to engage the inner end of the address plate and providedadjacent its outer end with means whereby it may be moved outwardly toovercome the resistance of the spring latch and discharge the plate.

18. In combination with a set of address plates of a platen a rotarydrum having a guideway parallel with its axis in which an address platemay be mounted in position to coact with the platen, a spring detentidlptedtoengage'the address' plate and to ance of the spring latch and(lis ehar the pm'ventits inadvertent displacement, a displate, and atension spring drawing e bar ehargi-n bar slidabl mounted parallel withinwardly.

. i t 0 the gui eway and a opted to engage the in- In testimony whereof,I hereunto aflix my 5 m! and of the address plate and providedsignature.

at its-outer end'with a lip whereby it may be movedoutwardly to overcomethe resist- HENRY C. OSBORN.

